Shogging mechanism for the guide bars of a warp knitting machine



May 13, 1969 3,443,402

K. KOHL SHOGGING M ANISM FOR HE GUIDE BARS OF A A P KNITT M NE Filed Aug. 9, 1

JNVENTOR KARL K By m Kw ENT United States Patent 3,443,402 SHOGGING MECHANISM FOR THE GUIDE BARS OF A WARP KNITTING MACHINE Karl Kohl, Olfenbacher Str. 20, Hainstadt am Main, Germany Filed Aug. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 659,481 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 26, 1966, M 70,722 Int. Cl. D04b 27/26 US. CI. 66-86 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE One group of shogging levers of a Raschel knitting machine is pivoted on a fixed portion of a shaft assembly by pattern chains, whereas another group is pivoted on an eccentrically mounted sleeve of the assembly. The sleeve is oscillated by means of a cam on the main shaft of the machine and a cam follower train so as to reciprocate the levers of the second group longitudinally. In another embodiment, the shaft assembly is rotatable and is oscillated by the cam follower train, one group of levers being coaxially pivoted on the assembly, and the other group eccentrically.

Background of the invention This invention relates to warp knitting machines, and particularly to the guide bars shogging mechanism of a machine which has at least two, but normally many guide bars.

It is common practice to move the guide bars longitudinally by means of associated pivotally mounted shogging levers which are pivoted by pattern wheels or individual pattern chains trained over a common drum. The levers are elongated tangentially to the engaged pattern wheel or pattern chain portions, and the cooperation between each shogging lever and the associated pattern chain can be modified by longitudinally reciprocating the shogging levers. The reciprocating movement is derived from the main cam shaft of the knitting machine which actuates all knitting implements of the machine, and other mechanisms.

The known devices for longitudinally reciprocating the shogging levers are relatively complex and correspondingly costly. They usually permit only all shogging levers to be reciprocated or none. When they are modified for reciprocating selected shogging levers only, they become even more complex.

The object of the invention is the provision of a shogging mechanism with a very simple device for longitudinally reciprocating at least some shogging levers, and permitting one group of levers to be reciprocated without participation of all levers in the reciprocating movement, if so desired.

Summary of the invention The invention, in one of its aspects thus provides the otherwise conventional shogging mechanism of a warp knitting machine with a shaft assembly having an axial portion which is eccentric relative to the principal axis of the assembly. A group of the shogging levers is secured to the eccentric portion for pivoting movement about an axis transversely offset from the principal axis, the pivoting movement of the levers being caused conventionally by a pattern member, such as a chain or wheel. A cam follower train engages a cam member on the main cam shaft of the machine and is operatively connected with the eccentric portion of the shaft assembly for pivoting the transversely offset axis of the levers about the principal axis of the shaft assembly when the cam member rotates with the main cam shaft.

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The exact nature of this invention as well as other features and advantages thereof will be readily apparent from consideration of the following specification relating to the annexed drawing.

Brief description of the drawing In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows the shogging mechanism and other elements of an otherwise conventional Raschel knitting machine in front elevation, and partly in section;

FIG. 2 shows a detail of the apparatus of FIG. 1 on a larger scale and in two different operating positions;

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in side elevation, and partly in section;

FIG. 4 is a partly exploded perspective view of a shaft assembly of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 shows a detail of a modified shogging mechanism of the invention in a view approximately corresponding to that of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of FIG. 5.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is seen the shogging mechanism for the guide bars of an otherwise conventional Raschel knitting machine. The mechanism includes as many shogging levers 1 as there are guide bars, only one lever being seen in the drawing. The lower ends of the several levers 1 are fulcrummed on a common shaft assembly 2 where as the top ends of the levers engage associated push rods 3 of the respective guide bars 4. Return springs 5 bias the bars 4 toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 1, and toward levers 1, thereby holding hardened steel rollers 6 on levers 1 in engagement with the links of pattern chains 8 trained over a pattern drum 7.

The pattern drum 7 is drivingly connected to the main cam shaft 14 in a nonillustrated manner. The links of the chain 8 vary in height. As they sequentially engage the roller 6 during clockwise rotation of the drum 7, they oscillate the levers 1 on the shaft assembly 2, while the engaged chain portions move longitudinally of the levers. The mechanism described so far is well known, and is described more fully in Warp Knitting Technology by D. F. Paling (Columbine Press, Manchester, 2nd ed., 1965, pp. 246-251).

It is also known to reciprocate the levers 1 longitudinally once during each machine cycle, and thereby to move the roller 6 substantially tangentially relative to the drum 7 and the chain 8 in order to reduce the speed of the overlapping motion of the guide bars while the levers 1 ascend, and to cause the underlapping motions to be made earlier than normal during the descent of the levers 1.

This invention is more specifically concerned with a novel mechanism for causing vertical reciprocating movement of the shogging levers.

The shaft assembly 2 has coaxial terminal portions 17 which are fixedly mounted in the knitting machine frame 29, only one shaft portion 17 being shown in FIG. 4. The shaft portions 17 are cylindrical and centered on the principal axis of the shaft assembly. They are fixedly connected by an eccentric pin 9. A cylindrical sleeve 10 having the same diameter as the shaft portions 17 and provided with an eccentric axial bore is normally rotatably mounted on the pin 9. Groups of identical shogging levers 1 and 1" are respectively pivotally mounted on the fixed shaft portions 17 and the sleeve 10, only one member of each group being shown in fragmentary phantom view in FIG. 4.

An arm 11 is fixedly attached to the eccentric sleeve 10 of the shaft assembly as shown in FIG. 1, and is approximately radial to the principal axis. Its free end is hingedly connected to a cam follower rod 12 provided with a roller which travels over the cam face of a radial cam 13 mounted on the main cam shaft 14 of the knitting machine. The roller 15 is guided by an arm 16 pivotally atached to the machine frame.

During each revolution of the main cam shaft, that is, during each machine cycle, the cam 14 swings the sleeve 10 back and forth on the pin 9 between the positions shown in FIG. 2, thereby causing vertical reciprocating movement of the shogging levers of the group 1' which are mounted on the sleeve 10, whereas the shogging levers of the group 1" do not participate in the reciprocating movement.

A partly modified shogging mechanism of the invention is shown in the fragmentary view of FIG. 5, all elements of the mechanism not illustrated in FIG. 5 being substantially identical with corresponding parts of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

The shaft assembly 2a is rotatably mounted in the knitting machine frame, and an arm 11a is fixedly attached to the shaft assembly. The shaft assembly has axial sections 9a, 9b of reduced diameter, the section 912 being eccentric and the section 9a centered in the axis of rotation of the assembly. Shogging levers 1a are pivotally mounted on the eccentric shaft section 9b, and other levers, not seen in FIG. 5, are similarly mounted on the shaft section 9a.

The arm 11a is swung back and forth during each revolution of the main cam shaft from which all normal knitting motions are derived, as described above with reference to FIGS. 14 and arm 11, thereby causing vertical or longitudinal reciprocating motion of the shogging levers 1a, but not of the nonillustrated levers which are mounted on the coaxial shaft section 9a.

The simplicity of both illustrated embodiments of the invention is evident. Knitting machines of the invention equipped for selective longitudinal reciprocation of the shogging levers are readily arranged in such a manner that the patterning bars lay in weft threads when located behind the ground bars, and perform both overlapping and underlapping movements when located in front of the main guide bars.

Only one chain link per course is needed for the weft guide bars as well as for the patterning guide bars positioned in front of the main bars because the overlapping motion can be controlled jointly for the last mentioned guide bars by the main cam shaft of the machine.

While the invention has been described hereinabove with reference to a Raschel knitting machine, it is evident that the guide bars on other warp knitting machines may be moved in the direction of their elongation by the aforedescribed mechanism.

It should be understood, therefore, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wrap knitting machine having a frame, a plurality of elongated guide bars, a plurality of pivotally mounted shogging levers respectively connected with said guide bars for longitudinally moving the guide bars on the frame when the levers pivot, a plurality of pattern members, portions of respective pattern members engaging said levers for pivoting the same while the engaged portions of the pattern members move longitudinally of the associated levers, a main cam shaft, and motion transmitting means for longitudinally reciprocating said levers in response to rotation of said cam shaft, the improvement in the motion transmitting means which comprises:

(a) a shaft assembly (2) having a principal axis, an

axial portion (10, 9b) of said assembly being eccentric relative to said axis;

(1) a group (1', 1a) of said shogging levers being secured to said eccentric portion for pivoting movement about an axis transversely offset from said principal axis;

(b) a cam member (13) mounted on said main cam shaft (14) for rotation therewith; and

(c) cam follower means (15, 12, 11, 11a) engaging said cam member and operatively connected to said eccentric portion for pivoting said transversely offset axis about said principal axis when said cam member rotates.

2. In a machine as set forth in claim 1, said shaft assembly having another axial portion (17, 9a) centered on said principal axis, another group (1") of said shogging levers being mounted on said other axial portion for pivotal movement about said principal axis.

3. In a machine as set forth in claim 2, said shaft assembly including an axially elongated pin portion (9) fixedly and eccentrically fastened to said other axial portion (17), said eccentric portion (10) being rotatably mounted on said pin portion.

4. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said other axial portion (17) being fixedly mounted on said frame.

5. In a machine as set forth in claim 3, said cam follower means including an arm member (11) fixedly fastened to said eccentric portion (10) and extending from said shaft assembly in a direction radial relative to one of said axes, said arm member having a free end portion, and a cam follower member (12) secured to said free end portion.

6. In a machine as set forth in claim 2, said other axial portion (9a) being mounted on said frame (20) for rotation about said principal axis, and said eccentric portion (9b) being fixedly fastened to said other axial portion, said cam follower means including an arm member (11a) fixedly fastened to one of said portions of the shaft assembly and extending therefrom in a direction radial relative to one of said axes, said arm member having a free end portion, and a cam follower member (12) secured to said free end portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,350,901 11/1967 Noe 66-86 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,139 7/1925 France.

RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner. 

